Public Affairs: Lobbying target - David Lammy, minister of state for higher education

Lammy worked as a lawyer and member of the Greater London Assembly
before entering the Commons in 2000. He got his first government post in
2002 and was promoted up in the Department for Innovation, Universities
and Skills in this month's reshuffle.

- What is his background?

Born in Tottenham, north London, to first-generation Guyanese
immigrants, Lammy studied law at the School of Oriental and African
Studies, was called to the Bar, then worked in the US. In 1997, he
became the first black Briton to study a Masters in Law at Harvard.

- Where does he sit politically?

He rarely rebels against the Government on the big issues, but Lammy is
open to new ideas and is not afraid to speak boldly about the party's
future. According to a recent Guardian blog, he is 'hard to pigeonhole
in conventional left/right terms'.

- Why he is someone to watch

Lammy has been viewed as a 'rising star' for some years, but his links
to Obama (their friendship predates Obama's run for the presidency) make
him arguably Britain's best-connected politician. He has also seen
first-hand how the Obama campaign has harnessed the power of the
internet.

- Tell me something I didn't know

Former Cabinet Office minister Barbara Roche is reported to have once
said of Lammy: 'He's gorgeous. All the Labour women MPs are talking
about him.'